driving Mt Washington auto road (rental car, 2014, rental)
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The autoroad is so awesome! At 6200+ feet it's the tallest peak in all of the northeast. Driving your own car is the way to go. We went up last fall and the weather was so awesome we went back the very next day. Day 2 the weather was crazy so we got to see the best of the best and the worst.The walks and hikes you can take above the trees are amazing. Even if your not much of a hiker the trails are easy if you stay close to the road. We loved the views along the road more than the view at the top. The top was packed with tourists and you look out and down on everything. The views on the road itself are much more impressive. We really had no interest in the cog as it's stinky, smoggy and cost 3x as much as driving our own car. What cost about $45 for the 4 of us in the car would have been over $250 on the cog. No way! When the cog arrived at the top it dumped off like 200 people. It was awful. We headed back down to where there was barely anyone.
As far as safety the road gets steep in places and tight in others. Most of the road is paved so not sure what the comment above was all about. We were more concerned with other drivers to be honest. On the way down just drop your automatic into 2nd gear, or even first to go slower and you barely need to touch the brakes. The pull offs are really for the older cars way back in the day. New cars should have no problem whatsoever. Do yourself a favor and drive and spend the day up there. It's amazing!
The autoroad is so awesome! At 6200+ feet it's the tallest peak in all of the northeast. Driving your own car is the way to go. We went up last fall and the weather was so awesome we went back the very next day. Day 2 the weather was crazy so we got to see the best of the best and the worst.The walks and hikes you can take above the trees are amazing. Even if your not much of a hiker the trails are easy if you stay close to the road. We loved the views along the road more than the view at the top. The top was packed with tourists and you look out and down on everything. The views on the road itself are much more impressive. We really had no interest in the cog as it's stinky, smoggy and cost 3x as much as driving our own car. What cost about $45 for the 4 of us in the car would have been over $250 on the cog. No way! When the cog arrived at the top it dumped off like 200 people. It was awful. We headed back down to where there was barely anyone.
As far as safety the road gets steep in places and tight in others. Most of the road is paved so not sure what the comment above was all about. We were more concerned with other drivers to be honest. On the way down just drop your automatic into 2nd gear, or even first to go slower and you barely need to touch the brakes. The pull offs are really for the older cars way back in the day. New cars should have no problem whatsoever. Do yourself a favor and drive and spend the day up there. It's amazing!
yeah .. one reason I want to drive is so I can take my time and do some hiking around the mountain, another is to save money, so def not interested in the cog. Im a pretty adventurous person, looking forward to the thrill of driving up a mountain
I have hiked up to the summit multiple times as well as gone up in the back bed of a pickup truck. Driving up didn't seem bad unless there was 2 way traffic and you had to move to the side. Driver must concentrate the entire trip and can't really enjoy it much. Warned about damaging your brakes. Might be a better option to go up in one of the vans or by the cog railway.
The autoroad is so awesome! At 6200+ feet it's the tallest peak in all of the northeast. Driving your own car is the way to go. We went up last fall and the weather was so awesome we went back the very next day. Day 2 the weather was crazy so we got to see the best of the best and the worst.The walks and hikes you can take above the trees are amazing. Even if your not much of a hiker the trails are easy if you stay close to the road. We loved the views along the road more than the view at the top. The top was packed with tourists and you look out and down on everything. The views on the road itself are much more impressive. We really had no interest in the cog as it's stinky, smoggy and cost 3x as much as driving our own car. What cost about $45 for the 4 of us in the car would have been over $250 on the cog. No way! When the cog arrived at the top it dumped off like 200 people. It was awful. We headed back down to where there was barely anyone.
...
Actually it's only the first one in the morning that is a "stinky" steam engine. All the others are environmentally friendly bio-diesel. But yes, it does cost. I still think it's awesome
Here, preview it yourself - this is descending from the summit at sunrise:
Notice the lovely sun dog/rainbow at 40 seconds in.
I like to turn off the sound and listen to some nice music while I watch - it's hypnotizing.
Beautiful video! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to drive this, but seeing your video, I don't think I'll take my car - it seems like it would be pretty taxing on my 4 cylinder. lol
Beautiful video! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to drive this, but seeing your video, I don't think I'll take my car - it seems like it would be pretty taxing on my 4 cylinder. lol
if a Harley Sportster can do it , your car can
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